Recent Western Cape Business News

SCANIA has beefed up its operations in the Cape with the recent appointments of James White as regional sales manager and Marius Steenkamp as dealer service manager. Both men have extensive experience with Scania’s southern Africa operations.

Based in Bellville, Scania’s Cape branch is cautiously optimistic about the future and much of this rides on the recent launch of Scania’s new P,G and R-series.

White tells Cape Business News the whole transport industry has been badly affected by the steep rise in the price of fuel. Not only has this impacted on hauliers, but on sales across all makes. But with the new Scania trucks available, this is oddly playing into their hands for one important reason – the edge that these vehicles have over their competitors in fuel efficiency.

He points out that whereas the price of diesel some three years ago comprised between 30% to 35% of operating costs, this figure is now close 50% due to the steep price rises recently.

“The competitive climate in which transporters operate means that even apparently marginal gains in vehicle productivity now make measurable contributions to their businesses”, White says.

He says the fuel price is now the number one concern amongst operators. This makes buying a Scania product a compelling consideration. “The market knows full well that a Scania truck is highly fuel efficient that can achieve immense savings under current circumstances”, says White. “It’s for this reason too that the market is sitting up and taking note”.

He says Scania trucks are known for their reliability and the new truck is no exception. They have been designed to maximise operating economy and by fine tuning all components, uptime is extended, payloads are higher and fuel efficiency is improved.

At the same time reliability has been further improved – meeting and even exceeding customer expectations.

“That’s exactly what the new P,G and R-series are all about. These latest models offer useful gains in payload, fuel efficiency and durability – everything one needs to give your business a competitive edge”, White says.

Dealer service manager Marius Steenkamp says Scania’s network support is all about keeping trucks on the move. “Uptime is important, so it’s good to know that wherever you are, at any time of day or night, assistance is never further away than a telephone call”.

“Our fleet of service vehicles are on standby at all times and thanks to our troubleshooting system built into every vehicle, our service technicians can quickly identify a problem and correct it with the minimum of delay”.

“Our mechanics are skilled, well trained professionals capable of detecting faults before they become problems. So you get the most from your Scania”, Steenkamp says.